Festivals and events

Girona, the capital of the namesake province in Catalonia, easily manages the number of tourists coming through its proverbial gates. None of the beautiful historic sites in the city suffer from the queues similar to La Sagrada Família in Barcelona. The Gothic cathedral is easy to visit and photograph; the Jewish Quarter has barely any […]

When it comes to personal bucket lists, we are all very different. You may want to travel around the world, go bungee jumping, finish reading The War and Peace. Some of us, partial to hiking and running, may cross off a big one from their lists by participating in the annual race Oxfam Trailwalker, taking […]

La Bisbal de l’Empordà is the administrative centre of Baix Empordá and quite possibly the least interesting place in the whole region. No offense. No mountains, no beach, no Medieval streets, no Salvador Dalí footprints. That’s right — nothing should distract from counting tourist money in the region (a hefty sum indeed). However — in […]

Various festivals and themed fairs harking back to the Medieval times deserve their own event category in Catalonia — there are so many of them it is worth examining why. First, most towns and villages in the region, be they small or big, have barely changed since the distant times, preserving their historic centres and […]

The long months between Christmas and Easter seem to drag on and on in Catalonia, with no official holidays to look forward to. Not wanting to spend time merely with family, at work or following other routines, Catalans have come up with a few ways to amuse themselves. First, as is the custom among Catholics, […]

Corpus Christi (from Latin, Body of Christ) is a significant event in the Western religious calendar, but even for non-religious persons visiting Catalonia in June, it may be an interesting one to consider. It is during the celebration of Corpus Christi that you may see enormous flower carpets rolled out on the streets of many […]

June—August in the Costa Brava is not only the high tourist season but also high time for music festivals: each major resort town attempts to organize something unique and get big names onto the lineup to attract both the residents and the guests of the area alike. The Cap Roig Festival is especially successful in […]

In the old days, Costa Brava fishermen leaving for the open sea were never quite sure how long they would be gone, and so they packed everything necessary for nutritious cooking in the sea. There are countless recipes for high-calorie fish entrees—thankfully, not only were some of them preserved and remembered since the working conditions […]

The Costa Brava music festival Sons del Món (Sounds of the World) takes place every July in the northern part of Catalonia. Its core concept is so irresistible that you won’t hesitate to show up without even bothering to check out the lineup! The idea of combining music and wine tastings was born in Roses […]